LAS VEGAS -- The new Mac Pro might be the beginning of a reinvention in desktop PC design, but Razer wants a say in it, too.

At CES 2014, PC gaming company Razer, always known to make splashes with unique design concepts, unveiled Project Christine on the show floor. It's a prototype mock-up for the future of modular PCs, and it's a high-end gaming rig that will plug and play all sorts of modules.

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Razer has never made a desktop PC before, and only recently made PCs at all: the Razer Blade and Razer Edge were its first products, both showing a lot of design prowess. The design for Project Christine tops all that: what's on the show floor here in Las Vegas is little more than a metal chassis mock-up, but the design is incredibly cool to behold: a central rack holds plug-in parts that sprout from the sides, building a tower in any combination. It looks simultaneously far-futuristic and a bit steampunk.

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Even crazier, it's cooled with mineral oil. A module in the bottom holds the cooling oil, while dual pressure valve systems in each module carry the oil through.

As for the modules, Razer envisions RAM, graphics, speakers, processors, Blu-ray drives, and even a visual LED control and maintenance module that could be ordered separately and upgraded as needed. Razer's dream is for other manufacturers to build parts to the spec, too.

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Making that all work with be a tall order, but Razer has a history of following through on its promises: Project Fiona, shown off a few years ago, eventually became the very real Razer Edge gaming tablet.

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Scott Stein is a senior editor covering iOS and laptop reviews, mobile computing, video games, and tech culture. He has previously written for both mainstream and technology enthusiast publications including Wired, Esquire.com, Men's Journal, and Maxim, and regularly appears on TV and radio talking tech trends.